I hope your coffee is strong, your wifi is stable and your inbox is empty.

Onwards to the weekend!

The quote
"Rugby Australia is the latest sports body to succumb to moral blackmail and come out for the Voice… As a former rugby player I hope no one will feel bullied by this most regrettable decision by a code that should have known better.” – Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Rugby Australia becoming the latest sporting body to officially back the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

The stat
3.7%
The new unemployment rate in April, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The unemployment rate was 3.5% in March.

Today in history
2018: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married at a ceremony in Windsor Castle, making her a member of the royal family. The couple later stepped down as senior members of the family in January 2020.

Some headlines from this morning:

Singapore is considering laws that would ban 'cancel culture' in the country.

Cancel culture is a phenomenon that seeks to boycott public figures believed to have acted in an inappropriate manner. It's become an increasingly familiar term in recent years, buoyed by the rise of social media.

Here's what you need to know.

The background:
Singapore is a largely conservative city-state island country in southeast Asia.

At the end of last year, Singapore decriminalised homosexuality. The law that made homosexuality a criminal offence had been in place since the 1930s, but hadn't been actively enforced for about 15 years.

In light of the decision, some religious groups were concerned they'd be 'cancelled' for their views on homosexuality.

One day after the Government announced it would decriminalise homosexuality, Singapore's Law Minister, K. Shanmugam, said it was also considering new laws to add protections against 'cancel culture'.

"Religious groups feel that their freedom to express their views, to preach, is being curtailed by groups which cancel them... we cannot sit by and do nothing."

No laws have been formally drafted yet.

Want to hear more about this? Listen to today’s podcast.

Montana has become the first U.S. state to ban TikTok. Republican Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill into law this week which prohibits mobile app stores from offering the short-form video app.

The ban stems from long-standing data-sharing concerns between TikTok's Chinese owners, ByteDance, and the Chinese Government.

It is highly likely that the bill, scheduled to take effect from 1 January, will be challenged in court.

The ban:
Gianforte says banning TikTok from civilians' devices will "protect Montanans' private data and sensitive personal information from being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party".

"The Chinese Communist Party using TikTok to spy on Americans, violate their privacy, and collect their personal, private, and sensitive information is well-documented," he argued.

It comes after the U.S. Government moved to ban the app on government devices late last year.

How will it work?
According to the bill, app stores that offer TikTok to residents of Montana will be heavily fined by the state's Department of Justice if they violate the law.

App stores would be fined $AU15,000 per violation, plus another $AU15,000 for each additional day that the violation persists.

Montana's legislature says the ban will be lifted if the platform is sold to a company based in a country not designated as a "foreign adversary" by the federal government.

However, cybersecurity experts warn that enforcing the ban will be incredibly difficult as app stores can't necessarily limit apps according to geographical boundaries.

TikTok’s response:
An official from TikTok has indicated that the company will consider taking legal action against the Montana legislature.

They allege the bill infringes on individuals' constitutional right to freedom of speech.

"We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find a community," said TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter.

"[TikTok will] continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana."

Get all the news you need to know today in your ears on The Daily Aus podcast!

Scientists have found a potential antidote for the world’s deadliest mushroom, Amanita phalloides, also known as the ‘death cap’.

In new research published this week in academic journal Nature Communications, scientists found that when the death cap is consumed, followed by indocyanine green (a medical dye used to take images of liver and heart function), recovery is improved and the liver damage is significantly decreased.

Looking to make a positive impact with your purchases? Your answer is right here on Australian soil. Yep, you know that little green triangle with the yellow kangaroo on it? That logo is your ticket to making a real difference in your community. From food to fashion, furniture or skincare, Australian made products are of high quality and ethically produced. Not only that, but you'll be helping to create jobs and support local economies. Together, we can champion Aussie makers and growers this Australian Made Week.

Triple J has announced it is doing a countdown of the 100 best Like A Version performances of all time.

Voting opens on 23 May, before the countdown will take place on 15 July.

In the lead-up to voting, Triple J has released the entire catalogue of covers on their website.

My personal favourite is HAIM covering Shania Twain’s ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’ (though I think that show how absurdly basic I am).

(And for those unacquainted, Like A Version is when a performer comes in and plays both an original song and a cover of a song that is not theirs.)

The Daily Aus acknowledges the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work. We acknowledge and pay respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.